Linux Distro suggestions

[ratdude747]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

by the way, to end any hw questiuons, my specs:

dell latitude d400
pentium m donthan 1.8ghz (BGA)
2gb kingston pc2700 (underclocked to 266mhz by default)
60gb PATA seagate 5400rpm


[larry@larry-laptop ~]$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:00.1 System peripheral: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:00.3 System peripheral: Intel Corporation 82852/82855 GM/GME/PM/GMV Processor to I/O Controller (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 81)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5705M Gigabit Ethernet (rev 01)
01:01.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI7510 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)
01:01.1 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCI7510,7610 PC card Cardbus Controller (rev 01)
01:01.2 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments PCI7410,7510,7610 OHCI-Lynx Controller
01:01.3 System peripheral: Texas Instruments PCI7410,7510,7610 PCI Firmware Loading Function
01:03.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4309 802.11a/b/g (rev 03)
[larry@larry-laptop ~]$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 413c:8103 Dell Computer Corp. Wireless 350 Bluetooth
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 045e:0039 Microsoft Corp. IntelliMouse Optical

[mockingbird]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Ok I'm downloading the DVD ISO now off my neighbor's connection (Darn network caps). I can't just use the Kubuntu DVD ISO even if I were to manually replace KDE with Gnome because the one I have is 64 bit.

[toastygoodness]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

i'm a bit late as it seems you've started troubleshooting your devices now, but if you are still interested in suggestions, archlinux is great, though you will have to learn how to start with only a shell.

[acstech]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

I'll put in another vote for Arch. You learn a lot setting that up. The best thing about it, IMHO, is the documentation.

[ratdude747]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

no to arch... too much compiling to do anything. one compile is okish... constant compiling is a waste of time.

FYI i have not used any buntu's since 10.10... the poor attitude of the project (noobs only) tuned me off. whatever you get to work compiling is great, but I have no idea what does and doesn't work in 11.04.

[toastygoodness]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

gentoo is the one full of compiling; arch has almost no compiling unless you wish to do so. it also has the best dependency resolving package manager (pacman).

the reason you start at the shell is because the installer uses ncurses (text menus). no compiling whatsoever.

[mockingbird]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Where I'm holding:
I installed it in text mode. When I tried to install it regularly, it just hung at the boot screen. Maybe because I was using a USB DVD on this laptop (This laptop was gutted before I bought it a while back). Not a big deal, I usually install in Text Mode.

Next I logged in, and I got a message "“you do not have the hardware required to run Unity" and then something about taking me back to Gnome Classic. I'm not sure what all this means, but I'm in a Gnome 2.x style GUI so I'm assuming I'm at the same point that you are.

Looking at lsmod, I see the i915 module is loaded (Yes, the i915 module is used also for the 855 and this laptop is definitely 855). I looked in etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf and I couldn't find any blacklisted Intel GFX drivers, so the blacklist must be on Gnome's side.

Right now I need to get the internal wireless nic working on the laptop. I need a module that will recognize the wifi on/off switch because right now it's stuck in rfkill mode. I'll try and works some more on this tommorow.

[Mad_Professor]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

I'm going on a similar endeavor.

Had Fedora 14 for 6 months, came to conclusion that it sucked. Too buggy and too broken it's like buying that awesome sport car only to find out it's a lemon.

CentOS: My preferred Server O/S, easy to use, well documented easy to modify for user needs.

Ubuntu: It's great to a point. Noob friendly, but if you try to customize something or if something breaks you're out of luck.

Opensuse: eh? it's ok. It doesn't like atheros wifi chips. I feel this nearly polish and clean but bloated. Sometimes their repos are broken, also Documentation is bit outdated.

mandriva, just blah... Should have stay as Mandrake sounds cooler.

debian: eh, tried it twice, wasn't really my cup of tea.

Slackware is great for the advance user, I've only tried it 3 times, it's time consuming tho, but stable.

Haven't tried linux mint or archlinux.

Personally the best Desktop O/S right now is Windows 7. Only because Linux distros is just lacking in stability, direction or support.

Best Server O/S right now is Redhat.

[ratdude747]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

gentoo is the one full of compiling; arch has almost no compiling unless you wish to do so. it also has the best dependency resolving package manager (pacman).

the reason you start at the shell is because the installer uses ncurses (text menus). no compiling whatsoever.

oh ok. I am fine with those... I thought you meant no gui installed by default. sorry!

MK- the blacklist is on fedora's end, but the bugs causing it are actually issues caused by a new revision of the Intel drivers meant to fix performance issues in the i9xx chips, but at the same time shafting the i8xx series... the fact that fedora 14 at the time wasn't stuck in vesa like ubuntu 10.10 was was the biggest reason I switched.

maybe they need to make the old driver as an i8xx module and the new as an i9xx module...

[japlytic]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Any kid-friendly ones?

[Per Hansson]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

For servers it's RedHat Enterprise Linux for me.
Or if you want to go the no-support route then CentOS. (But they can lag significantly behind RHEL on updates...)

For clients Windows 7 x64 all the way.
For slower clients a slimmed down XP install, but it will mean more trouble due to higher profileration of crap on the web existing for it
For even slower computers Windows 2000, nothing runs as well as that good old system and it honestly needs much less tweaking vs XP to get a "usable" system (That is all the crap is already turned off by default or not supported)

If you do go the Linux route anyway (understandable because 99.999% of the crap on the Internet wont be able to harm it) it depends on the needs of the client, and what sort of system the client has.
As ratdude has become aware driver problems can be a real pain, crap like closed source Broadcom wireless or old Intel graphics can cause no ends of pain.
I would recommend to research Linux support before purchase!

I'm partial towards Debian but it can be a little, erm, "special"
For no frills users I think Fedora does a good job.
Oh, and I personally love KDE, but that is more a preference thing of course.

[mockingbird]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

MK- the blacklist is on fedora's end, but the bugs causing it are actually issues caused by a new revision of the Intel drivers meant to fix performance issues in the i9xx chips, but at the same time shafting the i8xx series... the fact that fedora 14 at the time wasn't stuck in vesa like ubuntu 10.10 was was the biggest reason I switched....

But 11.04 comes with Gnome 2.3.x not Gnome 3! Do you want to run Gnome 3 on 11.04, is that the problem?

[toastygoodness]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Any kid-friendly ones?

edubuntu is supposed to be a good one: http://www.edubuntu.org/

or any other distros on this page: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/l...les/43224.aspx

[toastygoodness]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Personally the best Desktop O/S right now is Windows 7. Only because Linux distros is just lacking in stability, direction or support.

Best Server O/S right now is Redhat.

spot on for desktop, but i really have to disagree about server OS. If anything, SLES is much better than redhat due to yast and novell support for whacko drivers/software and mono, especially if there are windows clients on the network.

[seanc]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Surely you can install Gnome 3 on Ubuntu via apt? Are there not any repositories for it?

Back in 2005, I was running Redhat 9 with KDE. My PC would hard lock when running Windows. Must have been bad caps - but I didn't know about those at the time.
Then I moved to SuSE 9.2 with KDE and followed for a while, I liked YaST but it was a bit clunky.
Mandriva popped up for a while, but it wasn't for me.
Debian? No.
Gentoo? Much too confusing for a novice.
Then I went XP, Vista.
Then I ran on Ubuntu for a year and I still run it at work on my spare/data recovery PCs. I use it with the Gnome 2.x shells, I don't want to have to get my head around Unity or whatever ghastly things Gnome 3 may have - I know where everything is in 2.x and I hate wasting time searching for things.

[mockingbird]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

Surely you can install Gnome 3 on Ubuntu via apt? Are there not any repositories for it?

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3
gksu apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

This is without Unity installed. If you do this and Unity is running, it will cause problems.

Then I ran on Ubuntu for a year and I still run it at work on my spare/data recovery PCs. I use it with the Gnome 2.x shells, I don't want to have to get my head around Unity or whatever ghastly things Gnome 3 may have - I know where everything is in 2.x and I hate wasting time searching for things.

I installed Ubuntu on the 855 laptop like ratdude, Ubuntu automatically disabled Unity for me and shot me right into a Gnome 2.x GUI. I don't know what the problem is. It looked and worked fantastic.

[seanc]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

I'll give Gnome 3 a whirl tomorrow.

When I upgraded to 11.04 - Ubuntu automatically disabled the pretty effects for me too. I'm running on an Asus P5PE-VM with an 865 chipset.
I chucked in a Radeon 9700 and hey presto all was good. A kick up the backside I needed really, since Xorg on that box had been taking down the entire machine if left to its own devices for more than 2 hours.

I should add that I've been dist-upgrading that box since 9.04.

I used to have a D400 - it was sweet. Ran Ubuntu with no problem.
I sold it to my co-worker. He had no issues with it running Ubuntu with Netbook Remix at the time. Hell, he's running Unity on a Compaq N410C on his desk (I believe it has an 830M chipset) - it works fine.

[NxB]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

b43 is not a proprietary driver. It loads the firmware yes, but it is all open source.

broadcom-sta is the proprietary for broadcom and madwifi is the proprietary for atheros.

[ratdude747]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

because gnome 2.2 is not gnome 3. gnome 3 is newer and uses more graphics power. gnome 3 is not gnome 2 at all... and I am not going back to gnome 2 since gnome 3 is so much more intuative.

the way gnome 3 works is it has 2 screens. one is a desktop, and the other is a application manager where you add/remove workspaces, open programs, and (in the future) open and browse files.

the fact you were given gnome 2 is the fact that the graphics are broken, and last i checked, ubuntu gave i8xx the generic vesa driver which is not unity compatible.

what you are trying to say is if a computer was no good for xp, it would boot 98 and saying "it booted 98 fine. i don't see a problem. looks beautiful."

[mockingbird]

Re: Linux Distro suggestions

because gnome 2.2 is not gnome 3. gnome 3 is newer and uses more graphics power. gnome 3 is not gnome 2 at all... and I am not going back to gnome 2 since gnome 3 is so much more intuative.

Now we're getting somewhere... So you want Gnome 3 on Ubuntu Natty... Natty does not come by default with Gnome 3...

the fact you were given gnome 2 is the fact that the graphics are broken, and last i checked, ubuntu gave i8xx the generic vesa driver which is not unity compatible.

No, it gave me the i915 module. I'm going to test it with Gnome 3 just to spite you. I bet you I can get it to work. Then what other excuses will you have for not using Ubuntu? I'm also gonna test the Samba printer sharing...